A barbecue held at Boyd Robinson’s Portnablagh home on Saturday has raised enough money to buy not one, but four defibrillators for the local area, after the community turned out in force to support the fundraiser.
Donegal News reported last week that the Letterkenny estate agent was hosting the event at his home on Shore Road specifically to fund a defibrillator for the area, with the plan being to mount the device on the exterior wall of his house so it would be accessible to the public at all times.
The campaign was launched amid concern over emergency response times locally, with the nearest existing defibrillator based at Johnston’s Caravan Park in Marblehill.
The event brought in a total of €7,132.62 — far exceeding what was needed to purchase a single defibrillator and cabinet. Boyd, who organised the barbecue, wrote that he was “totally blown away by the response.”
Writing on Facebook afterwards, he confirmed one of the four units will go to Dunfanaghy Youths FC, with two of the remaining units to be purchased still to find a home.
“I plan to donate one to Dunfanaghy Youths FC so have to find places for the other two,” he wrote, adding that he would welcome suggestions from the community on where the devices could do the most good.
Boyd was quick to credit the businesses and volunteers who made the day possible. McCarron’s Butchers in Dunfanaghy supplied the burgers, Highland Bakery in Letterkenny provided the baps, and Moores Shop in Dunfanaghy donated cheese and other essentials.
He also thanked fellow cook John Dawson for manning the grill alongside him.
The Dunfanaghy Dippers provided salads for the day and helped out throughout, while young fundraisers Tara, Emer and Rónán McCafferty, together with their cousins Aoibhinn, Eileanór and Niamh, made and sold jewellery and painted rocks to add to the total.
The Dunfanaghy Country Market also collected donations on the day, and Robinson singled out his mother and wider family for the work they put in behind the scenes.
Reflecting on the turnout, Boyd wrote: “Thank you all so much what a wonderful community we have.”
Why it matters
As Donegal News reported ahead of the barbecue, survival from cardiac arrest depends heavily on CPR and defibrillation within the first three to five minutes, with the odds of survival dropping by roughly 10% for every minute that passes without treatment.
That window is a particular concern for areas like Portnablagh: the median ambulance response time nationally is 24 minutes, while the area itself sits roughly 30 to 40 minutes from Letterkenny University Hospital.
Donegal has also faced repeated warnings in recent years over ambulance and paramedic shortages, adding to the urgency behind local efforts to get defibrillators installed and ready for public use.
Anyone dialling 999 or 112 in a medical emergency will also be directed to their nearest defibrillator.
With four devices now funded rather than one, Saturday’s turnout looks set to close that gap considerably faster than originally hoped.